Shreyas Iyer-Led India Blamed For 'Overconfidence And Casualness' After 2-0 Defeat Against Ireland

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar has come down hard on India T20I captain Shreyas Iyer after India’s shocking 2-0 T20I series defeat to Ireland, calling June 28 “one of the worst days in Indian cricket.”

Gavaskar said Indian cricket has seen several disappointing moments over the years, but losing a series to Ireland ranks among its lowest points. He added that the defeat would have been easier to accept if Ireland had produced extraordinary cricket. Instead, he blamed India’s overconfidence and casual approach for the result.

“Sunday, June 28, will go down as one of the worst days in Indian cricket.Losing a game of cricket is one thing, but to lose a series, albeit a two-match series, also depends on whom you lose to,” Gavaskar wrote in his Sportsstar column. “There are many low points in Indian cricket, and I have been a part of some, but to lose to Ireland has to be one of the lowest in the history of Indian cricket. If Ireland had played exceptional cricket, then it would have lessened the blow. It was simply overconfidence and a sense of casualness that let India down, and that’s why the sadness.”

The former India captain compared India’s batting display against Ireland to the West Indies’ approach in the 1983 World Cup final, where the Caribbean side paid the price for being overconfident.

“It was very much like West Indies in the final of the 1983 World Cup. When you look at West Indies batters’ dismissals, you will see the same overconfidence and casualness that we saw from the Indian batters in both games against Ireland,” he added.

India lost the first T20I by 34 runs and the second by just one run. The matches were played on pitches that offered extra bounce and carry, unlike the batting-friendly surfaces used during the IPL and the recent T20 World Cup.

Gavaskar felt the Indian batters failed to adjust to the conditions and kept playing their usual attacking game instead of reading the situation.

“Playing according to the situation is such an important aspect of any sport, especially cricket, but almost all the Indian batters tried to live up to their image and, on pitches that had a little extra carry and bounce, found that they were dismissed very easily by some good catching allied to smart bowling,” Gavaskar wrote.